Gluten Free: Sausage Filled Ravioli

Pasta, the nemesis of the gluten free eater. It's made with high-gluten flour which makes it stretchy and workable, but it also makes it difficult to make a GF substitute. There are quite a few passable gluten free versions of spaghetti, penne, macaroni and lasagne sheets, there's even Bob the Builder shaped pasta, if that's your kind of thing. So far, however, there's no such thing as fresh GF pasta, so if you want filled gluten free pasta, then you'll have to make your own.

Before you close this window to find something less ridiculous than making gluten free pasta, maybe chimpanzees on Segways, wait! Making gluten free pasta is not as awful as you imagine. If you have a pasta maker (one that hasn't been used with regular pasta, the cross contamination risk is too high otherwise) then it's even easier. I don't have a pasta maker, it's still on my 'kitchen things to buy' list, which means I have to roll my pasta out the old fashioned way. I have the upper body strength of a small child and even less patience, so if I can do it, anyone can.

Sausage Filled Ravioli (serves 2)
You'll need:
The pasta:

• 120g rice flour (I used Doves Farm)
• 90g tapioca flour
• 30g potato flour
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• a big pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp olive oil

The filling:

• 2 gluten free pork sausages (I used Rankin's Pork Sausages, but The Black Farmer or M&S also make good GF sausages)
• 10g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk

Make it!
The pasta:

1. Put all the ingredients into the food processor and pulse until it starts to come together into a crumbly dough.
2. Turn out on to a surface and knead it for a few minutes until it holds together. It will be quite a firm dough now.
3. Wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest for about 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface (I think the rice flour is the best for dusting) until it's thin enough that you can see the outline of your hand through it, which is about 1mm thick. It's easier if you roll out the dough in two or three batches.

The filling:

1. Remove the skins of the sausages and crumble the meat into a pan, fry for a few minutes until cooked through. Use your wooden spoon to break the sausage up a bit so that the pieces are all evenly sized. Leave to cool
2. When the sausage is cool, combine it with the Parmesan, sage and egg yolk.

Making the ravioli:

1. Place teaspoon-sized blobs of the filling on the pasta, using a pastry cutter as guide for spacing.
2. Brush the pasta with egg wash (I just used a little of the leftover egg whites) and place another piece of pasta on top.
3. Gently seal the ravioli with your fingertips, pushing all the air out of the middle, then cut out the ravioli with your pastry cutter.
4. Once they're all cut, give them another wee seal, checking for cracks or little holes in the pasta.
5. Drop the ravioli into boiling salted water and a bring back to a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes.
6. Drain the pasta and toss with a little olive oil. 
7. Serve with some grated Parmesan and black pepper.

You can find tapioca flour and potato flour at health food shops, the Whole Foods section of larger Tescos or online at Goodness Direct.

Playful Printed Tights for Spring

Do you see the word "spring" in the title of this post? Yeah. That's right. It's nearly April and my Uniqlo thermal tights have got holes in from overuse. It's time to retire them and bring out something sheerer. As they say in Field of Dreams: if we wear 15 denier, spring will come.

Especially if our new tights comes with patterns as adorable as these from Missguided. Firstly, let's get the price thing out of the way, because there's nothing worse than falling in love with tights and then discovering they're £35. These are £5.99 each and delivery is free, so go right ahead and get your credit card out.

These pretty cat face tights are ridiculously cute. Even more so because the cat looks as grumpy as our Hazel's cat, the brilliantly named Poppy Bumface.

So simple. Plain tights with a big star on the ankle, like a cheeky tattoo.

Who doesn't want a twinkly constellation of stars adorning their legs? Even better, the stars are randomly placed rather than in a line up the back. I've never been able to keep patterns in a straight line for long.

Can't decide between cats and stars? Then go for both with these tights. If the last cats were grumpy then this one is bloody furious, mind.

If you love Black Milk galaxy prints but not the price, then pick up a pair of these. They're £8.99.

Check out the rest of Missguided's tights - they're cute, playful, and an absolute bargain.

Let Her Eat Cake: Raspberry Ripple Cake

What could be more retro than a marble cake? Remember the ones that would always turn up at the Primary School bring and buy sale? Well this one has grown up. Half raspberry ripple, half marble, this one would saunter through the school gates in a pair of stilettos and a puff-ball skirt and start flirting with the most attractive teacher by the ice cream van.

Don't omit the vanilla pod if you can help it - the rich, exotic scent as you slice it open is incredibly addictive, and the flavour will transform your cake from sweet and sticky to suave and sultry.

Raspberry Ripple Cake

You will need:

For the cake

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 free range eggs
• 140g self-raising flour
• 1 vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 25g ground almonds
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp raspberries (fresh or fully defrosted)

For the topping 

• 2 large tbsp raspberry jam 
• 2 tbsp ground almonds

Make it!

The cake:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Beat the eggs, then add to the mixture gradually, with 2 teaspoons of the flour to stop the mixture from separating. Mix well. 
4. Using the point of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and stir into the mixture (Or add the vanilla extract, if using). 
5. Sift in the remaining flour in batches, folding in using a metal spoon. Add the almonds, along with enough milk to make a smooth batter and stir gently to combine. 
6. Place the raspberries in a separate bowl and mash into a puree. 
7. Take 2 tbsp of the batter and add to the raspberries, stirring well. 
8. Using a separate spoon for each mixture, dollop the batters into the tin alternately, making sure the bottom and sides of the tin are evenly covered. 
9. Smooth over the top. Use a skewer to drag through the mixture in swirls to create a ripple effect. 
10. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top is set and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and remove the greaseproof paper. 

The topping:

1. Gently melt the raspberry jam in a saucepan, adding a quick splash of water if it looks too thick. Set aside. 
2. In a dry frying pan gently toast the almonds, tossing frequently until golden brown. (Careful, they'll burn the moment you've got your back turned...) 
3. Spoon the raspberry syrup evenly over the cooled cake and scatter with toasted almonds to decorate. 

Sluttery Fantasy: Shoes To Fly You To The Moon!

 

These are probably the most literal take on the Greek gladiator sandals that have been doing the rounds in seemingly endless variety for the last few years - and I love them!

Make like Hermes and fly through London's streets (or, you know, walk at a decent pace) in this pair of silver leather Ancient Greek Sandals - seriously, Ancient Greek Sandals is the brand name - on Net-A-Porter.

These marvellous magical sandals are available in sizes 2 to 9 and cost £130. So we're filing them under a Sluttery Fantasy too, but then flying has been top of that list since I was a child.

One day Gadget, one day...

Her Curious Nature

There's no getting away from it: millinery can get expensive. But Her Curious Nature is in exception to that very pricey rule. Sabrina started her business on Portobello Market and still manages to keep her hats and headpieces affordable. It's even affordable a week before payday.

This gorgeous feather turban is just £35. A couple of team Sluttery have taken to wearing turbans recently and looking excellent. Not me, they look bloody ridiculous on me (I must stop trying them on in public).

I do like a floppy hat though. Especially one that's handmade in teal felt.

This little hat is adorable (and part of a previous or bespoke collection, perhaps. Either way, I'm very sad that's it not available in the shop anymore. And I'm sad my hair doesn't look like that when I haven't brushed it. But you can buy a similar lace collar for £35.

Oh, be still my beating heart.

Too much? Gorgeous as this leopard print/peacock feather hat is (and excited as I am at the prospect of mixing leopard and peacock prints) I think the cat would eat it.

She's smudged her lippy. But it's OK because it totally matches her headband thing. Which is falling off her head a bit. But that's also OK because it's fabulous.

OK, stop now. There's so much pretty in this photo. Somehow these two are managing to avoid looking totally bonkers. I want to go to parties with them. Prices for Her Curious Nature pieces start at £25, with the more delicate pieces understandably creeping into the hundreds. What a gorgeous, brilliant range.

Baking for Beginners: Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake

Today is my boyfriend's 40th birthday, when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted me to make this year he replied "Kronenbourg and tobacco flavour." Despite being pretty good at combining unusual ingredients this seemed a step too far so I opted for triple chocolate fudge instead.

When I looked in the pantry for cake decorating paraphernalia I soon realised that all I had was various crystallised flowers and edible glitters, not the most masculine of cake adornments so I decided to decorate it with some soldiers instead.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake (serves 8)

You will need:

For the cake:

• 200g self raising flour
• 150g caster sugar
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod (save the pod for the icing)
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp agave syrup (or golden syrup if you don't have any)
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten
• 160ml milk
• 140ml rapeseed oil 

For the fudge icing:

• 200g butter
• 130g cocoa
• 300g vanilla icing sugar (or regular icing sugar and a capful of vanilla extract)
• 100ml milk (approx)

To decorate:

• 3 x 125g boxes chocolate fingers
• 1 x 200g bag Minstrels
• Soldiers (optional)
• extra grated cocoa and icing sugar (optional)

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, vanilla and cocoa and mix well then stir in the remaining cake ingredients.
3. Line and grease 2 shallow 20cm diameter loose bottomed cake tins with baking parchment and divide the mixture between them. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre clean.
4. Leave for a few minutes then remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
5. Make the fudge icing next. To make vanilla icing sugar just blitz the caster sugar with the deseeded vanilla pod in an electric coffee grinder. 
6. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat then add the cocoa and stir well. Remove from the heat and then add the milk and icing sugar bit by bit, mine always splits at this point, if it does just transfer it to a bigger bowl and beat with an electric whisk and it will come back together, continue to add the remaining icing sugar and as much milk as you need to get a nice thick, glossy icing.
7. Once the cakes are completely cool slice them in half widthways to make 4 rounds of cake then stack them on top of each other with a thin layer of icing in between. Ice the top and sides then stick chocolate fingers all around the outside, a ring of Minstrels around the top and a cavalry of brave cake soldiers, grate some cocoa or chocolate/sprinkle with some more icing sugar, whatever takes your fancy.

Endless fun...

Gluten Free: Whole Foods Gluten Free Tour

A few weeks ago, I was invited to Whole Foods Market in Kensington for a gluten free tour of the store. The tour is aimed at newly diagnosed Coeliacs and people who are starting out on a gluten, or wheat, free diet and introduces customers to all the areas of the store where you can find GF products.

The tour is lead by Krystal, who has a nutrition background and is, herself, gluten intolerant (she eats a grain free diet) so she is able to guide you on good substitutes for various grains and even advises on ways to supplement  your diet on all those elements it might be lacking. Krystal is fresh-faced and energetic and a brilliant advert for a healthy gluten free diet (I'm not sure she'd approve of my black velvet cakes!), her enthusiasm for her style of eating is catching. I'm not sure I could give up dessert and replace it with probiotics, but I did leave the store resolving to cut out all the unnecessary crap from my diet.

The highlights of the tour were the bakery and the gluten free aisle. Whole Foods stocks a huge range of products from GF bakeries including, Sugargrain, Perk!er, Lazy Days and Rebel Bakery, which makes the bakery area one of the most exciting I've been in since being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. I'll admit to leaving the store with an armful of goodies, all from the bakery area, and to eating half of it on the train home. The gluten free aisle is a new addition to the store, the gluten free products are all around the store: pasta in the pasta aisle, flour in the baking aisle, but the GF aisle brings all of those products together. The range of GF flour mixes was immense (if I didn't have to lug it all back to Kent on the train, I would have gone mad and bought one of everything) and there were products there that I have never seen anywhere else. 

I'll admit to suffering from a huge amount of store-envy, for someone who loves food shopping this is a massive version of all the shops I spend most of my time in. They have products that I just can't find in my local area, especially gluten free items cakes and I would definitely pay them a visit and stock up on treats.

Even a know-it-all and hardened cynic like me learned loads and I found the whole tour very interesting. The tour would be ideal for anyone who is starting out on a gluten free diet, if you want to take your own tour, you can contact the store through the Whole Foods website.